Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Read no further if you watch the HBO series Game of Thrones but have not yet read the books. One of the greatest chapters from George R.R. Martin’s A Storm Of Swords has been rendered into sequential art, but the scene probably won’t be seen on the television series until Season 4. I will not be held responsible if you fail to heed my warning!

There, with that out of the way, let me say this A Storm of Swords fan art, by comic artist Jeff McComsey, is amazingly well done. Detailing the duel between Oberyn Martell, Prince of Dorne, called the Red Viper, and Gregor Clegane, nicknamed the Mountain because of his gargantuan size….it appears to be a very uneven fight from the start. I won’t get into too many details but the point is that Prince Oberyn volunteered to fight this massive warrior for personal reasons. Though both of these men are champions for another, they enter the battlefield with the express intention of killing their opponent in this trial by arms.

Each and every week “Team Shawn” MK2Fac3 and “Team Sam Covington” Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of November 23, 2011. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

It’s that time of year, boys and girls! It’s Thanksgiving! A time when pumpkins are on porches, there’s a nip in the air, and witches are on broomsticks! No wait, that’s not it. It’s the time of year when psychotic bunny rabbits rise from the dead to hide plastic eggs in your yard with chocolate in a basket or your doorsteps! No, that’s not it, either. It’s the time of year when you get Christmas presents and make snow angels! Crap, why can’t I get this right!? One last shot, it’s that time of year when you get your significant other a box of chocolates! CURSE WORD! Screw it, it’s Wednesday and comics are out, and this is what we’re freaking looking forward to, bros. And we gotta tell ya, there’s a large amount of super collections, so get on it, and take your wallet. You might even need to sell a kidney because that’s what I’m doing. I’m typing this from a bathtub full of ice! Somebody please send a doctor. I’m scared.

The official Alterna Comics store is having a $1 clearance sale this week which showcases a host of independent comic books.

Included in this showcase is the kids-friendly The Unlikely Trio: The Last Barn on The Left, as well as the more adult-oriented books The Chair (signed), Attack of the Alterna Zombies, volumes one and two of American Terror, Risers (signed), and Morbid Myths (signed). A lot of these books have great reviews on their site (and ours too!), and span from various different genres. So, if you’re looking to get yourself a graphic novel as well as looking for something for your children, you can’t do much better than getting something for the whole family for only a few bucks.

Actor Eric Balfour has been hired to turn his attentions to behind the camera and turn Jesus Hates Zombies, the graphic novel from Stephen Lindsay, into a feature-length movie from a script written by Michael Mongillo and Jason Alan Smith.

The graphic novel tells of a zombie plague taking over the world, as we’ve seen play out in movies, comics, games, and TV shows so many times now, but this time the creator himself is watching and doesn’t like what he sees, so he once again sends Jesus back to Earth — this time to throw down with the zombie horde.

We all love comics, right? I mean, you wouldn’t even be reading this if you didn’t enjoy the unique experience of the pairing of words with pictures that comics offer. It’s a form of storytelling unlike any other. The juxtaposition of the action on the page with the dialog. The power of a caption box giving us insight into a characters thoughts. The raw imagination we display (without even realizing it) to fill in the blank spaces between the panels.

Yeah, we love comics.

But saying we love comics is very different from proving we love comics. Sure, we all use the internet as our forum to discuss the books and characters we love. We feel a sense of ownership over them. We feel our opinions should matter, dammit! And we’re furious when it appears that the comic companies blatantly ignore those opinions. It hurts.

If you REALLY want to prove that you love comics, and that your opinion should matter, then you’ll listen to me now and help out a dear friend of mine.

There’s a comic shop called Comic Evolution in Puyallup, Washington (that’s just outside of Seattle) that is owned and operated by Chuck Messinger. Chuck is one of us. He loves comics. And not just tights and capes. All comics. He champions the indie creator. He gets it. He takes the time to know his clientele to the point where a recommendation from him is pretty much a guarantee that you’re going to enjoy whatever he’s telling you to read. His shop is free of the stereotypical comic store pretension. It’s a place for comic lovers to go and let their geek flag fly with pride. He gives back to the community and the surrounding businesses.

Jesus Hates Zombies
Yea, Though I Walk Volume 4
Written by Stephen Lindsay
Art by Daniel Thollin
Published by Alterna Comics
Price: $6.99
Available Now

Jesus is back and he’s ready for his final showdown with the angel Gabriel and his army of the undead. Yes, Jesus is ready to take on the undead hordes, and he’s brought his pal Abraham Lincoln along with him. Okay, this all sounds crazy, but that’s the best thing about Jesus Hates Zombies featuring Lincoln Hates Werewolves in Yea, Though I Walk Volume 4 (see, even the title is insane).

For a book called Jesus Hates Zombies, this is not nearly as blasphemous as you might think it would be. Writer Stephen Lindsay does not make fun of Jesus; he doesn’t even really make fun of Christians (which would be an easy way for a weaker writer to go). He just wants to tell a goofy but fun zombie story. Sure, it may have a few more religious trappings than other zombie books, but Lindsay’s goal is not really to examine religion. You can tell when a writer is being mean towards religion, and I never get that feeling from this book. This is an action movie, complete with explosions and epic fights.

Massive Awesome #1
Written by Stephen Lindsay
Art by Rolf Lejdegard
215 Ink
Price: $2.99; Release date: February 19, 2010

You will believe a piece of bacon can kick ass.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard the title for this book. I mean, Massive Awesome? That could be anything, and when you name your comic something like that you better live up to it. Well, this one has lived up to that title, and if you’re a fan of goofy action films, then this is the kind of comic that you will enjoy. What lies in the pages of this book is the tale of a renegade special forces operative who just happens to be a piece of bacon. Oh, and his best friend is a pickle who thinks he’s a zombie, but really isn’t. And they fight ninjas. Have I got you yet?

Yes, this book is goofy as hell. There’s no greater meaning to the plot, there’s no great mystery to solve. This is Schwarzenegger’s Commando in comic form. This can be said of a lot of the stuff that writer Stephen Lindsay writes. If you’ve read his other work, he always finds a way to bring the fun to every project he works on. There is just something about the concept of this book that puts a smile on my face when I think about it. And of course, if you are a fan of Lindsay’s Jesus Hates Zombies series, you’re going to have to pick this up for the full-color back-up story in the issue.

Ah, it’s that glorious day, when fanboys near and far venture to their local comic book shops and take the opportunity to get free books, hang out with creators and friends, and generally celebrate their love for the four-colored medium we call comics. Yes, it’s time again for Free Comic Book Day 2009. Coming this Saturday, May 2 this is your chance to pick up a select group of free comic books from your local comics retailer. Along with the free swag, most stores (or at least any store worth going to) will be holding creator signings, games, sales, and general fun.

For full details on books are available and where you can find a participating store, simply go to Free Comic Book Day. There, you’ll find the complete list of books being given out this year, as well as interviews and all information about FCBD.

Whenever I go to a convention like New York Comic Con, I’m typically on the movie coverage beat. I spend most of my morning waiting on a lengthy line to get into whatever the big theater where all the movie panels are held and new footage from upcoming films is previewed. I then spend the rest of my day in said theater typing away on my laptop, then later I type away in the press room.

All of this means and barely eat or pee or see the light of day and when I do get a chance to break away, I head right to the Con floor to snag some freebies, check out some of the awesome costumes, and peruse through the enormous selection of books, comic books, and trades. Because while I’m obsessed with movies, I WANT BOOKS!!!

I was fortunate enough to gets lots of wonderful freebies, too many to mentioned here. Therefore, here’s a list of 7 noteworthy books plus 7 single-issue comic books (and a few honorable mentions) that I delightfully snagged at the Con.

Dracula’s Heir

I saw the little Quirk Books sign and instantly recognized them as the publishers of The Indiana Jones Handbook, which I reviewed back in June. So of course I ran right over and proceeded to salivate all over their selection of titles. While I wanted pretty much all of them, I decided on Dracula’s Heir, an interactive mystery based on the lost chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula which takes place 10 years after the events of the classic novel. What adds to the coolness of the book (and the Quirk’s other “Interactive Mystery” titles) is that it comes with a bunch of removable clues like newspaper clippings and journal entries and once you’ve solved the mystery, there’s a final sealed up chapter at the end of the book that you break open — love it!!!

Ghoulish news, horror comic geeks! Independent comic publisher Chimaera Comics has formally announced the creation of a new horror imprint. The horror line has been aptly named Nightmaera and has announced half a dozen forthcoming titles, including A Violent End and Happy Panda Funtime Show.

The next bit of info actually gets me a little vaklempt, but as good as news of as a bunch of new horror comics is to a geek like me, equally amazing news is that Chimaera made the genius move of naming one of Geeks of Doom’s favorite independent comic writers and advocate, Stephen Lindsay (Jesus Hates Zombies, Ham & Eggs) as Nightmaera’s editor-in-chief. I’ve been a huge fan of Lindsay’s work since the moment I stumbled upon it on ComicSpace a few years back and I couldn’t think of a better choice to undertake a project like this. Lindsay has proven his mettle time and again and I, for one, am really looking forward to the stillborn two-headed mongrel thing that will be birthed from the loins of a dead ghoul.. uh, I mean… looking forward to checking out what a Lindsay-guided Nightmaera Comics will bring to the horror comic genre.

Check out all the details in the official press release after the jump: